- Title: WEST BANK: Braille Koran gives faith to blind students
- Date: 3rd March 2011
- Summary: BLIND RELIGIOUS SCHOLAR, OBADA ALI, TEACHING CLASS STUDENT OMAR IMAD IN THE FRONT, USING A COPY OF BRAILLE KORAN TO READ THE HOLY BOOK CLOSE OF IMAD'S HANDS RUNNING OVER THE BOOK PAGES TEACHER ALI READING OUT LOUD VERSES FROM KORAN IN CLASS CLOSE OF ALI'S HANDS RUNNING OVER THE PAGES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RELIGIOUS SCHOLAR, OBADA ALI, SAYING "Everything you find in a regular Koran you can also find in a Braille Koran, using the Braille system, be it punctuation, numbers of verses, indexes for the Koranic suras (chapters), simple explanations of suras which tell whether they were (revealed to the prophet) in Mecca or Medina, its number in the Koran, the number of its verses -- all these things are available in the Braille Koran, and the blind student can read them and learn through them about intonation and how to recite the holy Koran." VARIOUS OF STUDENT OMAR IMAD READING FROM BRAILLE KORAN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) BLIND STUDENT, OMAR IMAD, SAYING "I want to become a sheikh and Imam in the mosque. Now I am learning the Koran and memorising it. In school I am learning the holy Koran." ALI HOLDING THE BRAILLE COPY OF THE KORAN CLOSE OF BOOK COVER READING: 'KORAN (PRINTED) IN THE BRAILLE SYSTEM VARIOUS OF BLIND STUDENTS IN ALI'S CLASS READING FROM BRAILLE KORAN
- Embargoed: 18th March 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: West bank, West bank
- City:
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Religion
- Reuters ID: LVA2F8O8MEVLX020PPTHDON80HO1
- Story Text: A small group of visually impaired Palestinian children in the West Bank can now recite the holy Koran which most of them cannot see.
Under the supervision of religious scholar Obada Ali, the blind children at al-Nour school in the city of Jenin use a Braille copy of the Koran to study the holy book.
The group of boys in Ali's class run their hands over the Braille pages, while their teacher, who lost his sight due to a childhood illness, recites verses from the holy book.
Aware of the challenges that the children are faced with, Ali says the new Braille version of the Koran makes learning possible and easier for students who are visually impaired. He says it allows them a deeper understanding of their faith.
"Everything you find in a regular Koran you can also find in a Braille Koran, using the Braille system, be it punctuation, numbers of verses, indexes for the Koranic suras (chapters), simple explanations of suras which tell whether they were (revealed to the prophet) in Mecca or Medina, its number in the Koran, the number of its verses -- all these things are available in the Braille Koran, and the blind student can read them and learn through them about intonation and how to recite the holy Koran," Ali said.
One of the students, Omar Imad, said the Braille technique encouraged him to overcome obstacles in his education and continue his studies.
"I want to become a sheikh and Imam in the mosque. Now I am learning the Koran and memorising it," he said.
The Braille copy of the Koran was donated to the school by the Jordanian Protect Koran Association. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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